B-136119, MAY 20, 1958
Highlights
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF MAY 13. IT APPEARS FURTHER THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HE NOTED THAT THE BID SUBMITTED BY THE SUBJECT COMPANY WAS POSSIBLY IN ERROR SINCE IT WAS SO MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID RECEIVED. THAT THE BIDDER REPLIED BY TELEPHONE ON THE SAME DAY AND ADVISED YOU THAT THE BID WAS IN ERROR. THAT THE TOTAL INTENDED BID PRICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN $579.21 INSTEAD OF THE $451.05 QUOTED. A GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ESTIMATE IS NOT AVAILABLE. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE ERROR IN BID WAS NOTED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UPON EXAMINATION OF THE BIDS AND THE BIDDER HAS CONFIRMED AND EXPLAINED THE ERROR TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER.
B-136119, MAY 20, 1958
TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF MAY 13, 1958, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN CONCERNING AN ERROR THE SCHONBAR-LEIGH PRINTING COMPANY ALLEGES IT MADE ON ITS BID DATED APRIL 21, 1958.
IT APPEARS THAT ON APRIL 19, 1958, YOUR OFFICE ADVERTISED FOR PRICES ON THE PRODUCTION OF 35,600 SETS (PLUS OR MINUS 10 PERCENT) OF A 6 PART, CARBON INTERLEAVED, SNAPOUT STYLE FORM WITH STUBS IN TWO LENGTHS, SIZES 5 BY 3 AND 8 BY 5 INCHES, SHIPMENT TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE JUNE 2, 1958. RESPONSE THERETO THE SCHONBAR-LEIGH PRINTING COMPANY SUBMITTED A BID OF $12.67 PER THOUSAND SETS OR A TOTAL OF $451.05. FIVE OTHER BIDS RECEIVED RANGED IN PRICE FROM $18.25 TO $43.99 PER THOUSAND SETS OR FOR TOTALS RANGING FROM $649.70 TO $1,566. IT APPEARS FURTHER THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HE NOTED THAT THE BID SUBMITTED BY THE SUBJECT COMPANY WAS POSSIBLY IN ERROR SINCE IT WAS SO MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID RECEIVED.
YOU STATE THAT BY TELEGRAM DATED MAY 6, 1958, THE CONTRACTING OFFICER REQUESTED THE COMPANY, TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM ITS BID PRICES; THAT THE BIDDER REPLIED BY TELEPHONE ON THE SAME DAY AND ADVISED YOU THAT THE BID WAS IN ERROR; THAT THE UNIT RATE FOR THIS WORK HAD BEEN ESTIMATED AT $16.27 PER THOUSAND SETS BUT DUE TO A TRANSPORTATION OF FIGURES THE BIDDER HAD ERRONEOUSLY QUOTED A PRICE OF $12.67 PER THOUSAND SETS, AND THAT THE TOTAL INTENDED BID PRICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN $579.21 INSTEAD OF THE $451.05 QUOTED. IN A LETTER DATED MAY 7, 1958, THE BIDDER CONFIRMED THE ERROR IN ITS BID AND FORWARDED ITS ESTIMATE SHEET WHICH SHOWS A TOTAL OF $16.27 PER THOUSAND SETS FOR THE WORK IT PROPOSED TO DO. A GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ESTIMATE IS NOT AVAILABLE, HOWEVER, THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HAS STATED HIS BELIEF THAT AN HONEST ERROR HAS BEEN MADE.
ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD, THERE APPEARS NO ROOM FOR DOUBT THAT THE BIDDER MADE AN ERROR IN ITS BID. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE ERROR IN BID WAS NOTED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UPON EXAMINATION OF THE BIDS AND THE BIDDER HAS CONFIRMED AND EXPLAINED THE ERROR TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER, THE BID OF THE SCHONBAR-LEIGH COMPANY MAY BE DISREGARDED.
THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LETTER FROM THE BIDDER DATED MAY 7, 1958, ARE RETURNED AS REQUESTED.